Namdaemun Market sushi lunch with kids' pork cutlet: Elephant Sushi

A Gwanghwamun favorite: Elephant Sushi

After dropping my kid off at daycare, I went solo to Namdaemun Market to shop for his fall clothes, then ran into my sushi buddy who had errands nearby. We ended up having lunch together at Elephant Sushi, my current obsession in Gwanghwamun.

Where Elephant Sushi is, and how busy it was at 1pm

📍 Elephant Sushi, said to be one of Seoul's top three sushi spots

With my hands full of fall clothes for my son, I walked over lightly to KT Tower. It's about a 20-minute walk from Namdaemun Market, so it felt like a nice little stroll.

I went at 1pm, just past the lunch rush when nearby office workers flock in for sushi lunch in Gwanghwamun, and the bar seats were almost completely full.

The table seating on the other side, though, had plenty of room.

The Elephant Sushi menu and how to order

📋 The sushi menu at this Gwanghwamun favorite

You order via table-side tablet, with everything from à la carte sushi to a range of set menus ✔️ I hadn't noticed last time, but there's also a kids' menu, which makes it a great spot to bring a child. Since we had a 5-year-old with us this time, we ordered the kids' pork cutlet — every kid's favorite.

Elephant A vs Elephant B: what's the difference?

🍴 Elephant A (10 pieces + cold soba) 🍴 Elephant B (12 pieces + cold soba)

Salad and jangguk (clear soup) came standard, and just as we were finishing the salad, our ordered sets arrived.

Last time I was on a salmon kick and got the set that came with just salmon and seared salmon sushi, but this time I wanted a variety of raw fish, so I went with this set 🫶

🏷️ Elephant A comes with a base of 10 pieces

🏷️ Elephant B comes with 12 pieces including futomaki (thick seaweed roll)

Our favorite, Elephant B, costs about ₩10,000 more than Elephant A, but it skips basics like fried tofu and egg sushi in favor of higher-quality pieces — salmon, tuna, amberjack, and horse mackerel!

I love the basics like fried tofu and egg sushi, so Elephant A was pretty satisfying for me too, but if you don't care for the classic pieces, I'd recommend Elephant B 🙆‍♀️

Tasting the sets piece by piece

We started with in-season amberjack, clean and light, then moved on to salmon sushi topped with onion — a combo I could eat every day and never get tired of 😊

Tuna sushi tastes different depending on the cut — akami, with less fat, leans light and clean rather than rich, while toro, the fatty tuna belly, is all about that savory richness! The toro came finely minced and served gunkan-style (nori-wrapped).

The swordfish and shrimp topped with lightly torched cheese, with just a hint of caramelized sweetness, came with every set — and it was so good!

This gunkan looked like uni at first glance, but it was actually ankimo (monkfish liver) — one of my favorite cuts, so both pieces were mine ❤️

Elephant B also included abalone, boiled and with a nice chewy texture.

Finishing it off with the futomaki left us seriously full haha

Last time the set came with warm udon, but this time, fitting the hot weather, we got cold soba instead.

The soba broth was a touch bland, but honestly — hot jangguk is great, but cold soba broth hit the spot too 🫶

The kids' pork loin cutlet at Elephant Sushi

👶 Elephant Sushi kids' menu — pork cutlet

I hadn't noticed the kids' pork cutlet last time. There's kids' sushi too, but the 5-year-old with us wanted the cutlet more than sushi haha

Elephant Sushi's kids' pork cutlet has a thinner breading, which made it extra crispy

Dipped in the sauce, it was clearly delicious — he devoured it…!

Is Elephant Sushi worth a Gwanghwamun lunch?

Elephant Sushi is the sushi place that comes to mind whenever I'm near Gwanghwamun. Called one of Seoul's top three sushi restaurants, the quality lives up to that reputation. I'll definitely be back!

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun: address and hours

• 178 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul, B1
• Daily 11:00 – 21:00
• Break time 15:00 – 17:00